Detour: Bridge, road work done near Huntley

By KEVIN P. CRAVER -
kcraver@shawmedia.com

Aug. 17, 2014

We start out this week with the completion of a project and the lifting of a road closure.

• MAIN STREET BRIDGE: Rehabilitation of the bridge over the Kishwaukee River between Harmony and Coyne Station roads near Huntley is done, and Main Street is reopened to traffic. New traffic signals at Harmony and Hemmer roads, and at Marengo Road and Main Street, are also finished.

• JOHNSBURG ROUNDABOUT: The intersection of Johnsburg and Chapel Hill roads is now completely closed to traffic as work on the roundabout enters the final stage. The intersection is expected to be reopened with the project’s scheduled September completion.

The $2.7 million project includes decorative lighting, landscaping and brick-paved crosswalks. A lengthy posted detour will take drivers around via Routes 31 and 120 and Chapel Hill Road. The work is the second phase of a project to improve Johnsburg Road. The first phase, which improved Johnsburg Road from Route 31 east to the roundabout, was finished earlier this year.

• ROUTES 31 AND 120: Work is ongoing on a $7.2 million project to widen and resurface Route 120 from Front Street to Green Street and Route 31 from Route 120 north to McCullom Lake Road. It includes improvement of the intersection and replacement of the bridge over the creek that feeds into the Fox River. The new lane configuration remains in effect this weekend, as do the lane closures on Route 120. The project is expected to be finished by November.

• FRANKLINVILLE ROAD: The road between Route 176 and Kunde Road is now closed so workers can replace a 60-year-old bridge. A posted detour will take drivers on a long stretch that includes Route 176, Millstream Road, Garden Valley Road, Vermont Road, Kishwaukee Valley Road and Hobe Road. The $1 million project is expected to be finished by the end of September, weather permitting.

• COUNTRY CLUB ROAD: Expect delays as workers start a $1.4 million project to resurface, patch and stripe the road through Bull Valley. The project is expected to be finished in September.

• ALGONQUIN WESTERN BYPASS: Budget more time if your travels take you through downtown Algonquin on either Route 31 or Algonquin Road/Route 62. Watch for workers and expect delays at the bypass’ intersections with Route 31 north and south of downtown, and on Algonquin Road west of downtown as workers build the overpass and its diamond interchange. A key component of the $33.3 million project is the building of a 2.1-mile, four-lane highway around downtown to eliminate the infamous rush-hour bottleneck at the intersection of Routes 31 and 62. This is the second year of the two-year project, and work is expected to be finished this fall.

• ROUTE 31: Work is ongoing to widen Route 31 to four lanes from Rakow Road in Crystal Lake south to Trinity Drive in Lake in the Hills. The $5.2 million project is expected to be finished by next spring.

• INTERSTATE 90: Budget extra time if your commute involves I-90. Work continues this year to improve a 37-mile segment of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway between Elgin and Interstate 39 in Rockford. Eastbound lanes were improved last year, so traffic is being shifted to them so workers can improve the westbound lanes. That work should be finished by the end of the year. But work also has started to improve a 25-mile segment of I-90 from Elgin east to the Tri-State Tollway. That work is expected to be finished by the end of 2015. The total cost of the project, meant to widen and improve I-90 between Rockford and O’Hare International Airport, is $2.5 billion.

• ROUTE 176: Work is continuing for an upgrade to the intersection of Route 176 and Smith Road in unincorporated Nunda Township. The $1.5 million project is expected to be finished by November.

Sources: Illinois Department of Transportation, McHenry County Division of Transportation

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